A £1.5 MILLION luxury apartment block in Salford could be bulldozed - because it is just over the length of a school ruler too tall.

Councillors have decided that the block of five £300,000 flats has broken the original planning rules.

The building is now 35 centimetres (13.8in) too high and 45 centimetres (17.8in) too wide on one side. One of the problems is said to be because of a window in the structure.

Stringent planning restrictions were imposed on the original development, called Bridgewater Court, because the building is in Worsley, a conservation area.

It is also one of the most desirable residential areas in Greater Manchester, listing many multi-millionaire Premiership footballers as its residents.

Salford City Council is now planning to issue an enforcement order. The developers will then be forced to either lop off chunks of the roof and windows - or demolish the lot. It is a nightmare twist to a planning row, made worse by the sheer scale of the development that is involved.

Coun Derek Antrobus, who is the council's leading member for planning, said: "The developer will have to change the building to fit in with the original plans.

"We are not going to be afraid to make tough decisions like this.

"No developer will be able to flout the rules like this and get away with it. They should simply stick to the original plans that were approved by the city council."

The two-bed apartments have already been extensively advertised.

Simon Richardson, a lawyer and planning consultant, acting for the developers, Urban Guides, said they would appeal against any enforcement notice and hope to come to a compromise with the council.

He added: "The councillors seem to want to make a bit of a fuss about this.